california 2014

we booked some spontaneous (is spontaneous still applicable when most everything we do is last minute?) flights & took off to california last month. the trip was just too good to pass up. the nflpa takes pretty good care of their retired players. they payed for todd's flight, our hotel, rental car, & room service, all on the condition that todd do some work outs, visit a dietician, & get treatment (aka massages) not far from where he's from. and the timing was impeccable. my parents, my sister, & her family already had their plans booked to be in san diego at the exact same time. basically, it was a win all around.

the boys loved it. we tried to keep the trip a secret but coop is just too smart. he was on to us from the get go. when we finally spilt the beans he was not too surprised, but still very excited. tj was confused about the whole thing. it took about a week of being on california before he finally realized it wasn't just another hawaiian island. the flight over was easy peasy. mylo slept in my arms most of the way & the older two were happily occupied by handheld technology. 

other than a day trip to anaheim we spent the first week & a half in carlsbad. you should have seen the boys faces when we pulled up to our hotel & legoland was next door. i doubt they have ever been that excited before. we picked up season passes & spent just about every day bouncing between the hotel pools & the park. ti's favorites were the dragon ride, & building & racing cars. coop loved the dragon ride, & the incredible designs in miniland. mylo loved the lost kingdom ride, & the boat ride. they were all completely ecstatic to come face-to-face with snow. they've asked about the freezing phenomena for months, years even & couldn't wait to experience it for themselves. i opted to sit that part out since the high 60's weather was enough cold for me. i am still amazed with how well my boys  handled the southern california winter. i was so worried but obviously their skin is much thicker than mine.  

 staying in a hotel is probably my favorite part of vacationing. no cooking or cleaning? throw in a couple of pools & other amenities & i am so there. i may have to fight my germophob fears a little when watching my toddler roll around the hallway floor or sit bare bum in the hotel room chair. but what does it kill 'em makes 'em stronger, right?

i won't lie, i was a little shocked with how beautiful the california beaches were. i mean, don't get me wrong, they've got nothin on maui. like, not even close. but they were gorgeous in a totally different admire-from-a-distance kind of way. (heaven knows, i wasn't about to get hypothermia by jumping in that frigid water.) the boys were so excited when we showed up to the beach. they were literally mad when i told them i didn't bring their swim shorts-well, until they stuck their toes in & realized just how cold the water was. then they were more than happy to keep to the sand.

other than binging on mexican food & in-n-out, the highlight of our trip was family. we spent the last week bunking up with todd's grandparents, my parents, & a couple nieces & nephews. the boys were surrounded by so much love, they could barely handle it. cooper spent most the week touring the city with grama, papa, & jameson getting spoiled every step of the way. tj & mylo were obsessed with   kam, rylie, "auntie kam's mom," & uncle scott. they made some lasting memories that the boys still refer back to on the daily (like never, & which hand). my favorite part was getting a little quality time with my niece & nephews that made the journey to see us. i was beyond excited to watch my nephew, kam, play in a soccer tournament. he is such an amazing athlete & so much fun to watch. 

we had the unique experience of spending thanksgiving with my family & todd's family all together. which means, my dad's mashed potatoes, my mom's rolls, nana's creamed corn, nana's stuffing, & a couple julian's pies. it was everything our hearts & stomachs could wish for. we also got to celebrate nana's 82nd birthday with the lady we all so love & admire. 

it was real california. but this island girl is happy to be home. 

tutu & tutu kane

tutu & tutu kane finally found their way to maui. and we loved every minute of their (our) vacation. the second they walked out of their terminal tj was in tutu's arms & held on tight for a full 5 minutes. apparently, he really missed her. cooper loved acting as tour guide & showing his grandparents all of his favorite spots. all 3 boys loved having our guests. they were showered with love, attention, food, & gifts. what more could any boy want? todd & i loved having our favorite babysitters around. we finally had the opportunity to do so many of the non-child-friendly things we've had to put off. we ate out at delicious restauarants, hiked, surfed & boogie boarded together. my favorite day was the day before they left todd was going for a run and i decided that i probably should join him since i hadn't in months. we only made it about 150 yards before we found a trail leading up the west mountians & opted to try that instead. we ended up discovering a hike full of spectacular island views. it was amazing. afterwards we went to napili for the most divine white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes with the whole fam. we climbed around some tide pools & spent some time at the beach then todd & i climbed & jumped black rock (i love that he was more scared than me). we ended the day with pizza & our favorite shave ice, ululani's. definitely a day to be remembered. i loved having some extra helping hands to juggle the boys. i was able to volunteer at cooper's school almost every day while my parents stayed with the littles. i seriously felt like i was on all expense paid vacation. all day, every day they were taking care of the boys & treating us to anything we wanted. those 2 weeks were jam packed full of fun & went by way too fast.

parents.

i have the best parents around. it is true. want me to prove it? my parents have always been there for me, unconditionally loved me, & given me what i need (note: i said need, not want. and for that, too, i am grateful). i have always known that i could depend on them. no matter how big or small my need they have always been there to fill it. when i call them to explain a perdicament they are already suggesting ways that they can help before i can even finish explaining. my dad is the type that will go a mile out of his way to save to an inch. what more could a girl ask for?
the last 2 weeks their service was a saving grace to our family. they made the 2 hour trip to mountain house multiple times to help us in our move. they watched our boys, packed & moved a significant portion of our belongings, hauled & stored all of the items that wouldn't fit in our storage, cleaned, fed us, woke up before dawn to drive us to the airport, & my dad even offered (ok, insisted) that i take his phone with me to hawaii when my phone quit working. who does that?! not many people, that's for sure. the day before our early morning flight i finally began to feel overwhelmed. i looked around at all the cleaning, packing, & moving we still had left to do, we were almost out of time & room in our storage, and my phone was broken. i walked outside and started to tear up when my parents pulled up 2 hours earlier than expected. instantly, i felt relieved. i knew that everything would be ok. and it was. they went straight to work & solved everything. i am still overwhelmed with gratitude for them. i didn't realize how dependent we've been on them until we am now too far away to call them for help. my poor kids wont know what to do without their favorite babysitters.

let the games begin.

jones' family olympics 2012

in celebration of the upcoming olympics we had our own event. all of the kids wanted to be a part of team usa. the festivities began with a torch ceremony. then the kids competed in javelin, discus, shot put, hurtles, 40 yard dash, balance beam, & soccer. they were all rather impressive athletes. my favorite event was the 2 & under 40 yard dash. needless to say, it was pretty comical. the day was finished off with a medal ceremony where each child was awarded a gold medal. 

monterey.

my parent's surprised us with an all inclusive family trip to monterey. it was fantastic. there's nothing better than family & the beach in my book. the kids loved all the cousin time & site seeing. if i had to guess i'd say my boys' highlights were the hotel hot tub, chipotle, carmel beach, the aquarium, & dennis the menace park. the only thing missing was our becks. i cannot wait to see meet up with them in so cal in july, i am literally counting down the days. 

sd

we spent our 1st holiday in san diego surrounded by our watkins/winter family.  we had a lot of fun.  the boys loved seeing their loved ones, spending a day in legoland, & visiting the beach. it was nice treat to get out of the cold & enjoy some 80 degree weather.  t.j. decided to show off & attempt walking.  i think it was all the attention & applause that really had him willing.  he took 7 steps in a row! 

legoland

thanksgiving feast 

nana hand knit this adorable bear for t.j...it's probably my favorite thing he owns.

t.j.'s early birthday party

our lovely hosts...aren't they just about the cutest thing you've ever seen!

she's sew wonderful

i'm just going to be blunt.  my sister is amazing.  she is truly one of the greatest people i know. she is quick to help others & always puts her own needs behind the needs of others.  for example, we made a 7 week trip to utah so todd could finish his bachelor's degree.  she put us up in her {absolutely gorgeous} home with the highest hospitality you could imagine. she even pretended to be a dragon so that cooper could slay her day after day.
she rocks (even though she sometimes gets confused & places her chic-fil-et drive thru order at the trash can).  

besides her outside quality as a human being she is also one of the most talented women i know.  everything she does is perfect.  she sews just about everything.  and everything that she sews is lovely.  she cooks.  and everything that she cooks is delish.  she decorates.  and everything she designs is gorgeous.  she has this incredible knack for putting things together.  we were in a store & i mentioned how i'm looking for new centerpieces in my kitchen.  all the sudden she starts picking up baskets & vases & botanicals & she's put together a gorgeous display in no time.  yea, she's that good.  take a look!  this is her play room (my favorite room in her house).  this room was completely custom done by her; every frame matte, notebook, painted decor, coaster, basket liner, painted wall, and piece of vinyl was handmade by this lovely lady.  

(oh, & if i'm ever blessed with a daughter she will be designing my baby girl's room just like her own).